Book Review: Mercy Blade

By Sandy Amazeen Jan 19, 2011, 16:49 GMT

While Jane Yellowrock and her newly acquired love interest Rick were enjoying some quiet bonding time in the Appalachians, werecats made a dramatic coming out appearance on CNN followed shortly thereafter by werewolves. As preternatural creatures come out of the closet, Jane’s life gets ever more complicated. Employed by Leo, the Master Vampire of New Orleans, Jane is in charge of security for the pending talks between supernatural creatures. Jane becomes the center of unwelcome attention as the preternatural community recognizes she isn’t human but neither is she a werecreature,  a situation further complicated by charges leveled against Leo that he eradicated the New Orleans werewolf population. On top of a growing list of concerns is Rick’s disappearance and subsequent realization that while he was working undercover he was sleeping around forcing Jane to reevaluate their relationship and herself.
 
The action and fast pace that kicks in by the last half of the book is tempered by Jane’s uncharacteristic angst over her relationships with Rick and Leo’s enforcer Bruiser. The element of Jane’s religious conflict has been added to the series and considering her character development in two previous titles, seems incongruent at best. Background information on existing characters augments the dual plotlines that come together in such a way as to leave more questions then answers. Readers new to the series will be able to follow the story but would do better to start at the beginning to understand the character actions and nuances in this merely adequate installment.